Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Navigate Like a Local with Your Navigator


location based services

U.S. Cellular® Helps Summer Drivers Head in the Right Direction
New Application Provides Robust GPS Navigation Services in a Wireless Phone
CHICAGO & ALISO VIEJO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Wrestling with maps, stopping for directions and worrying about where to find the next pit stop is a thing of the past for U.S. Cellular® customers hitting the road this summer. The company now offers a simple new tool that turns its cell phones into a convenient navigation system. Your Navigator provides customers audible turn-by-turn directions at a fraction of the cost of traditional in-car GPS navigation systems, whether you’re in a car or on foot.
“Nothing can dampen a weekend getaway or important meeting faster than time lost to missed turns or wandering unfamiliar territory,” said Alan D. Ferber, chief marketing officer for U.S. Cellular. “Our customers can now receive audible turn-by-turn directions and find gas stations, restaurants, hotels and tourist attractions. Finding your way to new and unknown places just got a whole lot easier.”
Your Navigator provides voice-prompted, turn-by-turn directions with auto-rerouting if customers miss a turn, and the ability to locate nearly 14 million points of interest in the U.S. including restaurants, landmarks, gas stations, banks, theaters, ATM machines and hotels. Complementing the friendly voice prompts before each turn, a large turn arrow also fills phone screens to point the way to the intended destination.
Powered by the Networks In Motion (NIM) location-based services (LBS) platform, Your Navigator also aids trip planning by showing detailed color maps that indicate a user’s current location and any address in the U.S. with the ability to pan and zoom. Users also can quickly access locations they have saved or recent location searches they have performed.
The service is available to U.S. Cellular customers for $9.99 per month or $2.99 per day, and works with the Kyocera 312 and the LG 245 U.S. Cellular handsets. U.S. Cellular customers with a Motorola V3M also can use Your Navigator with the completion of a free software upgrade at any company-owned retail store. Beginning Aug. 9, all Motorola V3M handsets sold at U.S. Cellular stores will be able to download the application. People traveling for summer vacation or business can purchase the application as needed on a daily or monthly basis, with no long-term commitment.
“Your Navigator is a very valuable solution for getting directions anytime, anywhere on a mobile phone, a device most people have with them everywhere they go,” said Doug Antone, president and CEO for Networks In Motion. “It’s a fraction of the cost for all the navigation support you need compared to hundreds or thousands of dollars for an in-car navigation system or personal navigation device.”
About U.S. Cellular

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